Two Vanderbilt Football Players Invited to NFL Combine – Sports Illustrated

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Two of the most important guys that helped transform Vanderbilt’s football program are taking their careers to the next level. The next stop in that process is the NFL Combine at the end of this month.
That is where former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and former tight end Eli Stowers are off to next. The official NFL Draft account on Twitter/X released its list for the invitees for the 2026 NFL Combine. Among the 319 prospects that received invitations are Stowers and Pavia.
The combine takes place in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana every year and gives prospects the opportunity to showcase their skills and abilities in front of NFL scouts and front office staffers of all 32 teams. The combine is an event where players can impact their draft stock if they test well, or even hurt their draft stock if things do not go the way they want.
For Stowers and Pavia to be invited to the combine is not a surprise in any way. Both guys believe in themselves and have the confidence in themselves that they are worthy of being drafted and given the opportunity to become the next guy to give a needed boost to any given NFL franchise.
Stowers was awarded the John Mackey Award for his performance during Vanderbilt’s 2025 season. The award that is given to college football’s most outstanding tight end was rightly earned by Stowers.
Stowers is coming off an incredible 2025 season where he had 62 receptions for 769 yards and four touchdowns. Stowers was a threat in the passing game all season to opposing defenses. Pavia and Stowers was one of the more lethal one-two punches between any quarterback and pass catcher in college football.
It is not a question of whether Stowers will get drafted, but when. In the latest mock draft from NFL HQ’s mock draft, the outlet has Stowers going to the Philadelphia Eagles with the fourth pick in the third round (pick No. 68 overall). Stowers decided to come back to Vanderbilt after his 2024 season in Nashville. His production en route to helping Vanderbilt achieve a 10-3 record in 2025 only helped his draft stock compared to if he went to the draft a year ago.
Pavia is the more fascinating case when it comes to the question of if he will be drafted or not. Pavia has received plenty of criticism for his size translating to the NFL, but the confidence he possesses is something that not many collegiate athletes have.
The NFL Combine could be a chance where Pavia is able to really improve his draft stock and possibly stand out in some way compared to some of the other quarterbacks invited. Pavia is one of 15 quarterbacks that received invites to the combine.
Whether it be during the interview process or with combine test results, Pavia’s performance could be the difference between whether he gets drafted or not.
The NFL Combine will begin Feb. 26 and runs through March 1.
Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
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